In Matthew 14:2 & 8, we find the same Greek Word,  βαπτιστης, (4/12, 5/12).  It is in this passage that we read of John's death at the hand of Herod. He was put to death because the King in his lust promised to deliver to his niece anything that she so desired.  Her mother told her to ask for the head of John the Baptist. There are no Baptisms taking place around these verses.

Matthew 16:14 also has βαπτιστης (6/12), but in this context it is in relation to who people claim Jesus is. 

Matthew 17:13 is a passage once again that does not have Baptism, but does refer to John the Baptist, βαπτιστης (7/12).  Here Christ identifies him as Elijah who was to come. This should help stop any doubts a person might have as to whether or not John's baptism was from Heaven or from man.  

My apologies on the delay.  

The next time one of our terms shows up is in Chapter 11 of Matthew.  

In verses 11 & 12, βαπτιστης (2/12, 3/12) is used twice which translated means Baptist/Baptizer. 

Who is Jesus talking about? John the Baptist
Why is Jesus talking about him?  Well John's disciples just came to ask whether or not Jesus was the one to come. For John has been locked away in prison awaiting his death.  
What does Jesus have to say about John? Jesus calls John a prophet, and that he was the one prophesied to come who would announce the Christ.
How should we regard John? Highly.  For Jesus says that among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. However, whoever is least in the kingdom of Heaven is greater than John.  
Why should we pay attention? The Kingdom of Heaven has suffered violence, the world does not want to hear the message of John the Baptist and persecutes him violently. So it should come as no surprise that this violence will come upon the one whom John foretold. 
 

In Verse 16, we have the last reference to Baptism in this chapter.  And something quite spectacular happens.  So let us look at this use of βαπτιζω (5/77).  

Who is being baptized? Jesus was being baptized by John.  
What happened when Jesus was Baptized?  Well as He went up from the water, the heavens were opened.  The Spirit of God descended upon him like a dove, and the Father in Heaven spoke aloud.  
Where did this take place? It was in a public place, not done in secret but in front of others that they might know Jesus is the Son of God. 
Why did God reveal himself here?  It was to announce that Jesus is His Son for the world to know, and to show us the Trinity.  

Now, as we have been asking throughout this chapter, again and again.  Is the Baptism of John from God or from Man? Is it of Heaven above or the earth below.  

My hope is that at this point you can see without a doubt by God's appearing, Baptism is not of man. It is the work of God.  

In Matthew 3:13, we have the verb, βαπτιζω (4/77), used again.  This time something different happens.  

Who is coming to be baptized? Jesus of all people is coming to be baptized by John
Where is the Baptism happening? Well Jesus traveled from Galilee and came to John by the Jordan to be baptized.  
Why is Jesus coming to be baptized by John? We know that John's baptism is for repentance, it is for those who are trying to flee the wrath of God, but Jesus is the Son of God. He has no sin, He doesn't need to repent, and He isn't going to flee the wrath of God, He is going to confront it on Golgotha!  

Thankfully in the next verse we have another use of Baptism. Because this verse bucks the trend of the previous verses. Jesus has no sin, and if He has no sin, then He has no need of repentance.  So what is going on here? Thankfully v14 also has the same verb and so we can look for some more answers.

In Matthew 3:14, we have the same verb, βαπτιζω (5/77).  John is just as confused as we ought to be. Why is the Son of God getting baptized?  John protests and says that he, John, needs to be baptized by Jesus.  

Who is baptizing who right now?  Well John is baptzing Jesus.
Why does Jesus need to get Baptized?  The reason that Jesus gives John is He needs to be Baptized to fulfill all righteousness.  

Now that word righteousness in the Greek is δικαιοσύνη, which is to be declared innocent.  Now if Baptism is something that we do, and Baptism fulfills, or completes our righteousness, innocence, before God.  Then Jesus is saying here that the works we do save us.  If the Baptism of John is from Man, then man is saved by His works.  However, if Baptism is from heaven, and is instead the work of God, then we are saved by God's work.  

So is Baptism from God or from Man? 

We find in Matthew 3:11 that the verb, βαπτιζω (3/77) is used twice. But there are two different uses one is first person and the other is third person.  So we have another person who will be baptizing.  

Who is baptizing? Well John identifies himself as one who was baptizing with water, but John also identifies that there is someone coming after him who will baptize with the Holy Spirit and Fire. 

What is the difference between these baptisms? Well John's baptism is one that is done out of repentance, but the baptism of this new person involves the Holy Spirit, 3rd Person of the Trinity, and fire.

When is this new baptism going to take place?  We are not yet sure, it is pointed to in the future. 

Where will this person be baptizing?  Not yet specified.

Why will this new baptism be done? Well in v12 John connects it with the judgment and the fire that John has warned about so far.  That this will also involve his judgment against the world. So even though John's baptism is for repentance the Baptism of John has yet to see its fulfillment.  

How will we know this new person? We will have to wait and see.  

Now the new Baptism that comes if it involves the Holy Spirit, 3rd Person of the Trinity, then we cannot say that it is the work of man. It has to be the work of the God.  

In Matthew 3:6 we have the first use of the word βαπτιζω (1/77), meaning to baptize, to soak or dip in water, or to pour over the head and ears.  From the 7th edition of An Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon by founded upon Liddell and Scott's Greek-English Lexicon

Who is baptizing?  John the Baptizer
What is he baptizing?  Well from v5 we see that he is baptizing many folks who are from the region were coming out to him to be baptized.  
When? Still the first century
Where is he Baptizing?  Well this time it narrows down a bit. John is baptizing folks still out in the wilderness, but in particular at the River Jordan.  This river has some significance throughout Israel's history, in particular this is the river that parted when Israel entered the promised land. 
Why is he baptizing them?  They come to him to be baptized after confessing their sins.  Now this is a bit surprising because people typically confessed their sins in the temple, brought sin offerings to the temple, etc.  This connection with sin, means it comes not from man, but from God. 

How is he baptizing them? By washing them in the river Jordan

In Matthew 3:7, we have the first use of the word, βαπτισμα (1/20) meaning baptism. 
Who is baptizing? John the Baptizer
What is he baptizing? Surprisingly, not just lay people but even the Pharisees and Sadducees have come to be baptized. But this section leaves us a bit unsure as to whether or not they are baptized. We do know that there were Pharisees who did repent, and were followers of Christ.  
When could they be baptized? When they repented, the trouble with the Pharisees and Sadduccees was that they were lacking repentance. They believed they would be ok because they were children of Abraham by the flesh. Repentance is not about who your parents are, or even about how many good works you do.  Repentance is the confession that I am a sinner, and I deserve punishment for my sin, but rely solely upon God's grace. 
Where does this happen? At the Jordan
Why are the people being Baptized? It is more than just confession of sins, they were also fleeing God's wrath. So the people who are getting baptized are fleeing the wrath of God which will toss every tree not bearing fruit into the fire.

Let's return to our key question. Is John's baptism from heaven or from man. If Baptism is man's work, then how would man's works hide us from the wrath of God?
 

The first place we will look is Matthew Chapter 3.

In this one chapter, we will take a look at the four words, that show up in the Greek New Testament attached to Baptism. I will use a tried and true method. The 5Ws and H, that is, who, what, when, where, why, and how.  Now I will modify each a question bit to make it releveant to the verse. I will not answer all of these for each verse as things would get a bit long, but will focus on the important parts. If there is something you feel I neglected, please be sure to leave a comment and I will get back to you. 

Let us begin. 

Matthew 3:1 - βαπτιστης (1/12) 
Who is the Baptizer? John
What is he Baptizing? Well so far nothing is listed
When is he Baptizing? 1st Century AD, and this is before the start of Jesus ministry.
Where is he Baptizing? In wilderness of Judea
Why is he Baptizing?  The Kingdom of heaven is drawing near, and this is part of a prophecy that comes from Isaiah as John is not doing this of his own volition, but because it is part of God's plan. 

How is he Baptizing? Well the word itself points to water. So even though John is in the wilderness, he must be near a body of water. 

I'm only doing one verse today, and I will build up on the verses as go. I would like to close today with one further question for you to think on as we proceed, it is the same question that Jesus asked the Pharisees, "The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?" (Matt 21:25)